Electrical metallic tubing (EMT) is generally connected to electrical boxes (i.e., junction boxes) by a tubular fitting including a threaded end with a threaded nose for insertion into a circular aperture in a box and a leading end including a screw mounted laterally through the fitting wall for securing the electrical metallic tubing to the fitting. This arrangement, although providing satisfactory tubing retention and sufficient electrical continuity between the electrical metallic tubing to the electrical box, junction, and various electrical housings to satisfy electrical code requirements, is time consuming and labor intensive. For every connection, an installer must first stab the threaded end of the fitting into the box and thread a lock nut onto the threaded nose to secure the fitting to the box and, secondly, secure the electrical metallic tubing to the leading end of the fitting by tightening the laterally mounted screw through the fitting wall. For any given installation of electrical metallic tubing in a building or factory, there can be hundreds or even thousands of such connections needed to completely wire the building. Additionally, tools must typically be used to achieve a secure connection, including a wrench on the lock nut and a screwdriver on the laterally mounted screw. Therefore, it should be appreciated that completing all of these connections can be very time consuming, requiring at least two different tools in order to complete each connection. Furthermore, when removing or replacing electrical metallic tubing connectors, an equal amount of time is needed to remove and tool(s) are often required to complete removal.
Electrical metallic tubing is generally held in place once in the junction box with tangs extending from a retaining ring as part of the tubular fitting. The tangs dig into the outer surface of the electrical metallic tubing. While this serves to hold the tubing in place, if a change or modification is required, such that the tubing needs to be removed from the connector and/or junction box, it often cannot be completed without cutting the tubing or completely disassembling the fitting. Such a process can be difficult and time consuming and can make any subsequent modifications to the configuration of the tubing difficult.
Thus, an electrical metallic tubing connector that can easily be installed and/or removed from a junction box is therefore desirable.